Fence



July 22 1924.

J. STEFAN, JR

FENCE Original Filed Mar el: 8, 1922 Rei'sauecl July 22, 1924.

UNITED STATES JACOB STEFAN, JR, orcmcaoo HEIGHTS} I mum's, TO INLAND DELAWARE.

Original no. 1,152,700, dated April 24, 1923, Serial m1. 542,101, 11m larch reissue filed June a, 1924.. Serial No. 718,180.

T 0, all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jason STEFAN, J r., a

citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago Heights,

in the county of Cookand State of Illinois,

have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Fences,,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to fencing, articularly wire fencing, and the genera object of the invention is to rovide fencing in which the horizontal wires of the fencing may, in a simple manner, be securely held to the posts. My invention isparticularly applica le to fencing in which the post is 0 metal and has a rear leg or flange projecting backward at right angles to the plane of the fence. More specifically, my purpose is to provide a clip adapted to engagp the fence post in a particular manner to old the fence wire securely to the post with a minimum of eflort on the part of the builder, with a minimum of material, and with a maximum degree of permanence and strength. It is also my purpose to obtain a construction which will embody theforegoing characteristics and at the same time permit the fence wire to shift horizontally relatively to the post.

I accomplish my ob ects by the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing in whichigure 1 is a perspective view of a section of my fencing at one of the posts.

Figure 2 is a plan section of the post showing also one of the horizontal'fence wires and showing the clip in the process of being applied.

Fi ure 3 is similar to Figure 2 except that the c ip is shown in final fastened position.

Figure 4 is a front elevation of the'post shown in Figure .3.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the clip. The full lines show the clip in the condition in which it is furnished by the manufacturer to the user. The dotted lines show the shape of the clip after it has been applied.

Like numerals denote like parts throughout the several views. h In the form illustrated, the fencing has horizontal wires 1 connected by vertical wires 2. The vertical wires. may be omitted. According to the illustrated design the fence post is in the form of a T bar, having what whereas in my construction the JILINOIS, assrcmon, BY MESNE AssIGN swam. COMPANY, or cmcaao, nmmors, A conronarron or FENCE.

8, 1922, Application for will be called'a front .4 and a rearward .ex-

tending leg or flange 6. The front consists in reality of two legs or flanges arranged in the same plane at right angles to, and extending in opposite directions from the plane of the leg 6. I have illustrated the post as havin a central front ridge 8 and regularly space lugs 10, .but I do not lay anyclaim to these characteristics. The same are shown in a co-pending application filed by Harold C. Jones, January 16th, 1922, Serial No. 529,404.

Now referring to the clip, which forms one of the essential elements of the invention: this consists of a piece of stout .wire which, as it leaves the manufacturer, is in the form shown in Figures 2 and 5. It has a front. section 12 terminating in a hook 14 at one end, and at the other end a long and straight section 15 extending obliquely backward. In the; form shown, the front section is in the form of a flat arch and the backw d reaching section makes an angle of app oxirnately degrees with ,it.

In practice, after the fence post has been set upright in the ground the fencing is laid against the, front, the horizontal wires 1 lying in'contact with the front of the post or with the ridge 8. The clip is then ap plied to each one of the horizontal wires in edge of the remaining front-flange and with the rear edge of the back leg 6. The operator then takesa hammer or other tool and bends the rear end of section 16 around the rear end of leg 6 into the position shown in and the long Figuresl and 3. The parts thereupon be I come permanently assembled, the material of the clip being of such character as .to etliciently maintain its new configuration.

Wire fence clips are not new per se, being shown, for example, in the said'Jones application; but in the Jones type the clips engage only the edges of the front flange clip is car," ried back to engage the rear edge of the rear flange or leg. The effect is noticeably different and better. In the first lace a clip of my type is easier to apply, or it is be formed in the point which is much more accessible to the builder. Furthermore it is not necessary to bend the wire through as great an angle with my type as it is in the previous type where the angle of bend is approximately 180 de ees. In my clip the bend is appreciably ess than this and the result is more snugly against the surface of the flange around which it engages. But a more importantconsideration still is the fact that the bend which 'must field is formed at a the stress resulting in horizontal pressure i against the horizontal wire, to force the wire away from the post, is much more nearlyin line with the section of the clip which resists it. In other words, the ortion of the clip lying between the front ange and the point where it engages the back of the post is-morenearly in line with the pull than in the case of a clip where the final bend is bent around the front flange. As a result of many tests it has been found that a much stronger force (tending to pull the fencing away from the post) will be resisted by a clip of my type than by a clip of the t pe heretofore employed. With my type of c i also, the horizontal fence wires may shi horizontally for adjustment and yet the clip will exert a limited amount of friction to prevent the wire from shifting too easily. Another advantage of my structure is that the rear flange forms an anvil, so to speak, about which the final bend (made in the field) can be made. Usually the clip is applied by first adjusting it and then making the final bend by striking the rear end with a hammer and bending it around the rear flange of the post. It will be evident that this rear flange makes a very eflicient anvil or former-block upon whichthe bend can be made. llhe rear edge is not only readily accessible but also has the advantage of being located on the neutral axis of the section thus giving better balance and resistance to the hammer blow than if it were not thus centrally located.

It is desirable,

but not essential, that in applying'the clips they be made to alternate in their direction of slant, that is, it is desirable that one clip cross the horizontal wire slanting downward toward the right, and that the next one cross it slanting downward toward the left. It is also desirable, but not essential, that the longer section15 lieon the right side of the 0st in ome cases and on the left side in ot er cases, as illustrated in Fi re 1.

aving thus described my invention what that the bent portion can lie post in the backward reaching section extending I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 15: 1. A fastener zontal fence wire. passing across its front face, the fastener having a hook at one end for engaging one of the front flanges of the post, a mid portion to extend across the front of the post and engage the wire and a third ortion extending rearward in substantia ly the same plane as of suflicientlength to pass edge of the rear flange of the post for engag- 1t. a .2. A fastener for fencing in which there is a T bar post and a horizontalfence wire gzssing acrossits front face, said fastener ing partially preformed, and having a for engaging one of the portion to hook at one end front flanges of the post, a mid extend across the front of the front of the wire for holding the post, backwards and making an angle of less than 90 degrees with the mid portion of the fastener, said third portion being of considerably greater length than the mid portion to enable it to to form a second tener to the post.

3. The combination form of a T bar, a wire assing of the post, and a astener being made of one end for enthe post,

t e latter to hook for holding the fasacross the front for the wire, said fastener wire and having a hook at gaging one of the front flanges of an a mid portion of the post and in front of the wire, said fastener being slightly oblique to enable it to cross the wire and thereby hold it to the post, and a third section extending rearward to the edge of the rear flange and there having a hook to engage said'rear flange for holding the fastener .to the post.

4. A clip for fencing in which there is a T bar post and a horizontal fence wire passing across its front face, said clip being of stout, bendable wire having a hook at one end adapted to engage one of the post flanges, a flatly-bowed section adapted to extend across the face of the 0st, and a backward reaching section bent in such direction that the included angle, relatively to the front section, is approximately degrees, the

i to and considerably beyond the rear flange, whereby it maybe bent around said rear flange and the resistance for producing the bend be furnished by said flange.

v JACOB STEFAN, JR.

the hook and' around the rear and a third portion extending extend around the rear flange with a metal fence to extend across the front for the wires of fences in y which there is-a T bar fence post and a hori- 0st and in 

